As president, Barack Obama has rarely, if ever, picked sides in a state legislative primary or called for unseating a Democratic incumbent. But on Monday, Obama endorsed Juliana Stratton, who is challenging state Rep. Ken Dunkin in the March 15 primary for the safely blue HD-05.

Democrats hold exactly the number of seats in the state House they need to override Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s vetoes (Team Blue also has a super majority in the state Senate), but Dunkin has repeatedly made life difficult for his party. Most notably, Dunkin was the one Democrat who broke ranks on a key budget vote that would have reversed Rauner's cuts to social services. State House Speaker Mike Madigan and other notable party leaders have endorsed Stratton, while Rauner’s allies have contributed heavily to the incumbent’s campaign and run ads boosting him.

Obama himself isn’t just issuing a nice press release for Stratton: He’s recorded a TV ad and radio spots for her. The TV commercial features old pictures of Obama, while the president says that he came to Chicago to strengthen the community and “follow-through is everything.” Obama then praises Stratton as a leader who follows through, and he highlights her legal career and agenda. The ad does not mention Dunkin. Interestingly, a good chunk of Obama’s old state Senate seat is included in HD-05, though of course the president’s influence is very strong throughout Chicago.